Adjustable crutch



June 17, 1947. J. c. wATTERS ADJUSTABLE CRUTCH Filed May 22, 1945 Patented June' 17, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l ADJUSTABLE CRUT-CH vJoseph Crampton Watters, AtlantacGa. Application-May 22; 1945,-seria1N0.-5`9`5,-i4o

6 Claims.

' This inventionl-relates'to `a'n-ifadjustable crutch, one of 'the-objects being tol provideY a structurevof this -ty'pe which'` can 'be made entirelyofV metal and which can be adjusted rea'dily'either to-meet the requirements of persons of diierentsizesor to permit `its collapse into lcompact form` so-as-to occupy the minimum space `when-not in use.

A3furtherA objectis to-provide simple and -ecient means l-forholding lthe crutch against collapse after`vr it has'- been-brought f to the AVdesired length -saidl means'` beinglf easily releasable; however,lv toallow the y-crutch 'tobe collapsed Iwhen desired.

With -the' foregoing/and otherobjectsin V-iew whichA will appear Vas* the description proceeds, the invention consistsoffcertain novel details of construction and combinationsof parts-hereinafter'- -rnorelfi'illy described 'and pointedfout in the claims;` it being understood that `changes Imay be made in the construction; andarrangement of parts without `departing from' the spirit ofthe invention asclaimed.

Inthe accompanying drawing the preferred form ofthe invention has been shown.

-In said drawing:

Figure 1 4is'anv elevation Aofthe crutch; a .portion `being broken away andi the hand grip being shown by full linesviny active position-.and 'by broken lines in inactive position. f

f Figure 2 is aside elevation of` the crutch, the lower portion ybeing broken away.

"Figure 3 is anenlarged 'view-partly in 4section and YpartlylinA elevation through the `lower' member of thecrutclfiv and v'showing*portions lof the upper member therein.

v`y`Fig-ure eis a; section 4through the housing of the Vcoupling structuretakenton the lineE IJ-4, FigrB; the parts inthe housing ybeing shown. in elevation and portions ofthe-upperand-lower sectionsof` the crutch also being'shown in elevation.

Figure 5 is a'horizontal section through the housing of the locking mechanism.

Referring to the' iigures by 'characters :of -reference, I designates the tubular 'lower section of the crutchwhich canbe made of aluminum alloy or other suitable light metal. Fixedly secured in the lower end of this memberl is a, plug 2 having a=-ce'ntra1 opening 3-in which a stem 4 is mounted for llimited sliding movement, the` movement of the istemin a downward vdirection* being l'adjustably restrainedV bynutsi.- VThelower endloff this stem is xedly joined toa foot 6 the lower surface of which can carry a pad 'I of rubber or other material which will not slip on pavements y2 or thelike.Y Coiledspring's' a-re'seatedin spaced socketsy 9 "withinthefplug Zandexert a constant downward thrust'lagainstthe foot. .Thus they formA cushions whereby shock-- dueto abrupt-contact 'of -the -footand'its 'pad' with aV supporting surfaoewill notbe transmitted tothesection I that will'hbe absorbed f'by the springs.

A housing lI U ispermanently joined tothe upper endofthe section I and is provided,in the lower portion thereof, withpara-llel Atubular guides? -I I opened at their ends andA extending throughthe sectionl. These guides which are 'sp'acedapart as shown in Fig; 3receive-paralflel tubular r`strips I2-joined A-at their'upperends Joy-the head I3 ofthe crutch which constitutes an arm or shoulder rest. These strips I2 are free to slide within the guides I I-when yunsecured'sothat it thus becomes 'possibleto elongate orcollapse the "crutch to meet the requirements.

UThe housingl 'has supporting ange's'extehd'- ing vthereinto from 'opposed sides and slidable on these-flanges'betwe'enthe strips'V I2 andtherespective sidesv of the housing 'IQ are jaws I51jn the form'of blocks `each ofwhich has alongitudinal 'channerls `in its inner ysideproportioned to receive the adjacentitubular'-strip I2. Each of these 'channels' has teeth or serrations I1 on its inner surface solocated thatwhen theblocks SI5 are moved toward each other these teeth or serrations will engagecorresponding teeth .or serrations I8 carried by the respective strips I2.

Oppositely extending pins I 9 are carried bythe channeled portions of'the respective blocks and are extended into cam slots 2i) provided in discs 2| which are mounted on'and secured to a short shaft'22 journaled in opposedwalls of the housing 'I'Jjf Thus'the two discs will vrotate in unison and the` cam slots.v inv both discs are so located and proportionedwthat" .when the discs .are rotated in .one direction` the .pins on .the `opposed blocks will .bedraWn-toward' each other thereby. .causing the teeth onserrations "I'Il to, .engage the teeth orserrationsl'. Consequently .the tubular strips |21wi1lbelckedagainst sliding-movement relativetothe housingllil andsection I." By rotating the-.discs -2l .in the-.opposite direction' the vblocks i5 will beamovedapart-so that the teeth-will becomeA .disengaged :and v collapse. orv adjustment of-the crutch'can beeiected. .Y Each of the discs 2| has a-tongue?3` extendedradially therefrom and both-tongues are-positionedin the path of turn buttons 24 mounted on and movablewith a shaft 25. This shaft is journaled in the housing and has a, projecting end to which is secured the shank 26 of a hand grip 27. A lug 28 is extended laterally from the shank and carries a set screw 29 adapted to be moved into either of two opposed recesses 30 formed in bosses 3l located on the housing I at opposite sides of the shaft 25.

It will be noted that when the set screw 29 is seated in one ofthe recesses 30 the turn buttons 24 are held pressed against the tongues 23 while the toothed blocks I are in engagement with the toothed strips I2. lAt this time the hand grip 2l is in its raised or working position where it can be reached readily by the user of the crutch. By disengaging the set screw while in the position stated, the grip 21 can be swung downwardly to the position shown Y which the set screw 29 can be inserted into the other recess 30. With the parts thus located, the

by broken lines in Fig. 1 after -V upper section of the crutch composedof the strips Y I2 and the connecting rest or head I3 can be lowered relative to the housing I0 and section I due to the fact that the movement of the grip as stated will cause the turn buttons 24 to rotate in the opposite direction and Shift discs 2I soasv to push the pins I9 from each other and disengage the toothed blocks from the toothed strips I2.

-Importance is attached to thefact that the adjustment of the crutch as well as its collapse can be eiected readily and to the further fact that the grip while in active position will hold the crutch against collapse whether or not there has been failure to secure the locking means through the use of the set screw 29.

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable and collapsible crutchl including a tubular lower section, an upper section comprising a rest and separate strips extending from said rest and mounted for sliding movement in the tubular section, a housing carried by the tubular section and surrounding a portion of the upper section, a hand grip movably connected to the housing and means within the housing'controlled by the movement of the hand grip into active-position for locking the sections against relative movement, Y 2. Acrutch including a tubular lower section, a housing on the upper end thereof, an upper VSection. extending into and slidably mounted within the housing and lower section, a hand grip pivotally connected Vto the housing for movement into either upwardly or downwardly extended position relative to the housing, and cooperating means on' the upper Section and in the housing and controlled by the movement of the hand grip into upwardlyextended position, for locking the sections against relative movement.

3. A crutch including a tubular lower section, a housing on the upper end thereof, an upper section extending into and slidably mounted within the housing and lower section, a hand grip pivotally connected to the housing for movement into either upwardly or downwardly extended position relative to the housing, cooperating means on the upper section and in the housing and controlled by the movement of the hand grip into upwardly extended position, for locking the sections against relative movement, said means including opposed toothed jaws slidably mounted within the housing, said upper section having toothed portions interposed between the jaws, a shaft rotatable with the hand grip, and means for transmitting motion from said shaft to the jaws to simultaneously shift 'the jaws into or out of engagement with the toothed portions of the upper sections.

4. A crutch including a tubular lower section, a housing on the upper end thereof, an upper section extending into and slidably mounted within the housing and lower section, a hand grip pivotally connected to the housing for movement into either upwardly or downwardly extended position relative to the housing, cooperating means on the upper section and in the housing and controlled by the movement of the hand grip into upwardly extended position, for locking the sections against relative movement, said means including opposed toothed jaws slidably mounted in the housing, rotatable cam elements in the housing, means connecting said cam elements and the jaws for shifting the jaws toward each other when the cam elements are moved in one direction and for moving them apart when the cam elements are moved in the opposite direction, a shaft in the housing rotatable with the hand grip, and means rotatable with the shaft for simultaneously shifting said cam elements to move the jaws toward and from each-other, said upper sections being extended between the jaws and positioned for engagement thereby.

5. A crutch including a tubularlower section, a housing on the upper vend thereof, an upper section extending into and slidablyV mounted` within the housing and lower section, a hand Ygrip pivotally connected to the housing for movementv into either upwardly or downwardly extended position relative to the housing, cooperating means Von the upper section and in the housing and controlled by the movement of the hand grip into upwardly extended position, for locking the sections against relative movement, said-means includingV opposed toothed jaws slidably mounted in the housing, rotatable cam elements in the housing, means connecting said cam'elemvents Vand the jaws for shifting the jaws toward each other when the cam elements are moved inone direction and for moving them apart when the Y cam elements are moved in the opposite direction,Y a shaft in the housing rotatable with the hand grip, turn buttons rotatable with the shaft, means carried by the cam elements for engagement with and actuation by the turn buttons, the upper section being positioned between the jaws for engagement thereby when shifted toward each other. f Y Y Y- 6. A crutch including a tubular lower/section, an upper section connectablethereto comprising parallel strips and a rest connecting the strips, a cushioned foot movably connected to the lower end of the lower sections, a hand grip joined to the lower section and mounted to swing intoan upwardly or downwardly extended position, and means operated by the lmovement of the hand grip into an upwardly extended position for ing the sections together. Y

JOSEPH Cmnt/narcisY lvvATrEias.i

REFERENCES CITED Y The following references arev of record inthe file of this patent:

UNTTED STATES PATENTS f lock- 

